Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Entrepreneurship & Hustle
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Teaching Technology
During the summer holidays, I wanted to earn some extra pocket money, but I couldn’t find a job in any of the local cafes. Then, I noticed that several of my elderly neighbours often asked me for help with their new mobile phones. This gave me a brilliant idea. I decided to start a small business teaching older people how to use their smartphones, charging a very low fee for my time. Because I had grown up using technology, I confidently assumed the work would be incredibly simple.
However, I quickly discovered that teaching technology to beginners requires a massive amount of patience. My clients were always polite, but many of them found the modern devices completely confusing. I would spend an hour explaining how to download an application or send a text message, but by the next lesson, they had usually forgotten everything. There were afternoons when I had to explain the same simple step ten times. I sometimes felt so frustrated that I seriously considered giving up the business altogether.
Everything changed when I started working with an eighty-year-old lady named Mrs Higgins. Her son had recently moved to Australia, and she was desperate to learn how to video call her grandchildren. We spent three weeks focusing entirely on this single goal. At first, she struggled to remember which buttons to press and often accidentally turned off her internet connection. I had to create a special notebook with colourful drawings and clear handwritten instructions for her to easily follow.
Eventually, the day arrived for her to make her first independent video call. I sat quietly in the corner of her living room as she carefully looked at my notes. When her grandchildren’s faces suddenly appeared on the bright screen, tears of joy ran down her face. Watching her talk to them was a truly magical experience. That single moment completely changed my attitude towards my work. I realised that my job wasn’t just about fixing annoying computer problems or earning cash; it was about helping people stay connected with the people they love. I definitely plan to continue my classes, even when school starts again.
1 Why did the writer start his tech support business?
(A) He was asked to do it by his boss at the local cafe.
(B) He wanted an uncomplicated way to earn cash during his time off.
(C) He needed to buy a new smartphone for his elderly neighbour.
(D) He wanted to learn more about how modern technology works.
2 What did the writer find most difficult about the job?
(A) His clients were frequently impolite to him.
(B) He didn’t know how to download some applications.
(C) He had to charge a very low fee for a lot of work.
(D) His clients struggled to remember his instructions.
3 How did the writer assist Mrs Higgins with her goal?
(A) He travelled to Australia to fix her internet connection.
(B) He made a helpful visual guide for her to read.
(C) He pressed the correct buttons on the phone for her.
(D) He bought her a special colourful notebook to use.
4 Watching Mrs Higgins make her video call made the writer
(A) realise the true value of the service he was providing.
(B) promise to stop charging his elderly clients money.
(C) decide to write a book about solving computer problems.
(D) want to visit his own relatives who lived abroad.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his business?
(A) The elderly people in my street complain too much, so I’ve decided to close my business and finally find a job in a cafe.
(B) I’ve made a lot of money teaching my neighbours, but I’m going to quit when school starts because it takes up too much time.
(C) Teaching technology is much harder than I expected, but bringing families together makes all the frustrating moments totally worthwhile.
(D) Mrs Higgins finally learned to use her phone, but I feel incredibly guilty because I charged her too much for the long lessons.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – Paragraph 1 states that he wanted to “earn some extra pocket money” during the “summer holidays” and “confidently assumed the work would be incredibly simple.”
2 D – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that “by the next lesson, they had usually forgotten everything” and he had to “explain the same simple step ten times,” meaning they struggled to remember his instructions.
3 B – Paragraph 3 details how the writer had to “create a special notebook with colourful drawings and clear handwritten instructions for her to easily follow,” which paraphrases making a visual guide.
4 A – Paragraph 4 describes how seeing her joy “completely changed my attitude” and made him realise his job was “about helping people stay connected,” showing he realised the true value of his service.
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global narrative arc: acknowledging that the work was surprisingly frustrating and repetitive, but ultimately finding it deeply rewarding because it helped connect a grandmother with her family.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Lesson Under the Paint
I have always enjoyed art and design, so when I needed to earn some extra pocket money last year, I decided to start a small business. I watched a few online videos about upcycling furniture and thought it looked like a fantastic idea. My plan was very simple. I would buy old, ugly wooden chairs from local markets for a very low price, paint them in bright modern colours, and then sell them online for a profit.
At first, my new business was a huge success. I bought three old dining chairs, painted them pale yellow and blue, and sold them all within a week. I felt incredibly proud and confident. A few days later, I visited a second-hand furniture market to find my next project. I quickly spotted a beautifully shaped chair hidden at the back of a stall. The seller offered it to me for just five pounds. Because it was so cheap, I paid immediately and carried it home, dreaming about the money I would make.
However, my excitement disappeared the next morning. When I took the chair into the garden and started cleaning it to prepare for painting, I noticed something strange. The wood at the bottom of the back legs felt surprisingly soft. I pushed it with my finger, and a large piece of wood simply fell off. The chair was full of hidden wood rot. It was completely ruined and far too dangerous for anyone to sit on.
I felt absolutely miserable. I had lost my money on the chair, and I had also wasted the cost of the bus ticket to the market. I realised that I couldn’t possibly sell it to a customer, so I had to throw the beautiful chair directly into the rubbish bin. It was a very disappointing end to my week, but it gave me a lot of time to think about what had gone wrong.
That experience taught me a very important lesson about business. I learned that you must always inspect your materials thoroughly before you invest your time and money. A fresh coat of bright paint might make a chair look beautiful, but it cannot fix wood that is broken inside. Now, I check every single piece of furniture extremely carefully before I agree to buy it.
1 Why did the writer start upcycling furniture?
(A) She wanted to earn some extra money.
(B) She needed to complete a school art project.
(C) She wanted to learn how to make online videos.
(D) She needed to decorate her own bedroom.
2 Why did the writer buy the chair at the second-hand market?
(A) Because it was already painted in beautiful colours.
(B) Because it was available at a very cheap price.
(C) Because she wanted to help the seller at the stall.
(D) Because it matched the three dining chairs she had.
3 What did the writer discover when she started cleaning the chair?
(A) The old paint was too difficult to remove.
(B) The shape of the chair was not very attractive.
(C) The material the chair was made of was badly damaged.
(D) The back legs of the chair were completely missing.
4 What made the writer feel miserable about the broken chair?
(A) Realising she had spent too many hours trying to clean it.
(B) Understanding that her online customers would be angry.
(C) Knowing she had wasted her cash on buying and transporting it.
(D) Feeling that she had thrown away a very comfortable seat.
5 What would the writer write on her business blog?
(A) “Upcycling is a great way to make money, but from now on I will only buy modern, expensive chairs.”
(B) “My first business failed because I bought broken furniture, so I’m looking for a different job.”
(C) “It’s impossible to know if second-hand furniture is good, so just paint it quickly and sell it.”
(D) “I’ve learned that before you spend time making something look good, you must check its basic condition.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The text states in the first paragraph, “when I needed to earn some extra pocket money last year, I decided to start a small business.” This directly paraphrases to wanting to earn some extra money.
2 B – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that the seller offered it for just five pounds and “Because it was so cheap, I paid immediately”. This matches buying it because it was available at a very cheap price.
3 C – Paragraph three explains that the wood felt soft and “The chair was full of hidden wood rot. It was completely ruined”. This is a factually correct paraphrase for the material being badly damaged.
4 C – The fourth paragraph states that the writer felt miserable because “I had lost my money on the chair, and I had also wasted the cost of the bus ticket”. This maps perfectly to wasting cash on buying and transporting it.
5 D – This option successfully captures the global meaning and the specific lesson in the final paragraph: “you must always inspect your materials thoroughly before you invest your time… A fresh coat of bright paint might make a chair look beautiful, but it cannot fix wood that is broken inside.”
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding an Audience
My name is Mark, and I have always been fascinated by the history of my hometown. Last year, I decided to start my own podcast to share my passion with others. I had listened to many popular history podcasts, so I thought it would be quite simple to attract a large audience. I bought a cheap microphone, set up a small studio in my bedroom, and eagerly began recording my first episode.
For the first few weeks, I worked incredibly hard. I researched old buildings, talked about forgotten local heroes, and recorded five whole episodes. However, when I checked the internet to see how many people had downloaded them, I was shocked. Only my parents and two of my friends had listened. It was extremely disappointing, and I seriously started to wonder if my project was a complete waste of time. I was ready to give up.
Despite my frustration, I decided to try one last idea before deleting the podcast. I knew that Mrs. Higgins, a well-known local historian, had recently published a popular book about our town. I felt very nervous about contacting such an important person, but I sent her a polite email asking if she would be a guest on my show. To my absolute surprise, she replied the next day and happily agreed to an interview.
When we recorded the episode, Mrs. Higgins shared some amazing stories that I had never heard before. As soon as I uploaded the interview online, something incredible happened. The next morning, I checked my computer and saw that the episode had hundreds of downloads! Because Mrs. Higgins was famous in our area, her fans had shared the link with their friends. Suddenly, people were also downloading and listening to my older episodes.
That experience completely changed my podcast and taught me a valuable lesson. I realised that simply creating interesting information is not always enough to be successful. You also need to connect with other people and build a network. I now regularly invite local experts onto my show, and my audience is growing every week. I am so glad I didn’t give up when things were difficult.
1 Why did Mark decide to start his own podcast?
(A) To teach his friends about popular history.
(B) To share his interest in his hometown’s past.
(C) To test out a new microphone he had bought.
(D) To become as famous as other podcast hosts.
2 How did Mark feel after making his first five episodes?
(A) Annoyed that his parents hadn’t listened to them.
(B) Exhausted because the historical research was too difficult.
(C) Discouraged because almost nobody had downloaded them.
(D) Surprised that strangers knew so much about local heroes.
3 What did Mark do before giving up on his podcast?
(A) He wrote a popular book about the town.
(B) He asked a famous local expert to join his show.
(C) He deleted all of his previous episodes from the internet.
(D) He went to a local historian’s house to interview her.
4 Why did the new episode get so many downloads?
(A) Mark paid to advertise the link online.
(B) Mrs. Higgins shared the amazing stories on her own podcast.
(C) Listeners were interested in the historian and shared the podcast.
(D) Mark changed the name of his older episodes to attract fans.
5 What would Mark write in his diary now?
(A) Starting a podcast was a huge mistake. I wish I had just written a history book like Mrs. Higgins.
(B) I am so proud that I got hundreds of listeners all by myself without needing anyone’s help.
(C) Mrs. Higgins was a great guest, but I have decided to stop the podcast because interviewing people is too stressful.
(D) The podcast is finally doing well! I’ve learned that making connections with others is just as important as good content.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, Mark says, “I have always been fascinated by the history of my hometown. Last year, I decided to start my own podcast to share my passion with others.” This matches sharing his interest in his hometown’s past.
2 C – In paragraph 2, Mark explains that only his parents and two friends listened, stating, “It was extremely disappointing, and I seriously started to wonder if my project was a complete waste of time,” which means he was discouraged because almost nobody downloaded the episodes.
3 B – In paragraph 3, Mark decides to try one last idea and sends a polite email to Mrs. Higgins, “a well-known local historian… asking if she would be a guest on my show.”
4 C – In paragraph 4, the text states, “Because Mrs. Higgins was famous in our area, her fans had shared the link with their friends,” meaning the downloads increased because people were interested in her and shared it.
5 D – This option captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in paragraph 5. Mark realizes that “simply creating interesting information is not always enough” and that you “need to connect with other people and build a network,” which perfectly matches the sentiment of the diary entry.